


Look At Me Like That

by IcicleLilly



Category: Free!
Genre: Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:07:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28816812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcicleLilly/pseuds/IcicleLilly
Summary: Nitori thought he was cursed. He had to be. It was the only explanation as tohowandwhyhe has fallen in love with another one of his roommates.Or:How Mikoshiba Momotarou wins over Ai's heart with just a look.
Relationships: Mikoshiba Momotarou/Nitori Aiichirou, unrequited Matsuoka Rin/Nitori Aiichirou
Comments: 9
Kudos: 33





	Look At Me Like That

☆☆☆

Sometimes, it's almost unbearable to think how big and _obvious_ Nitori’s crush on Rin was last school year. The reminder makes his heart drop to his stomach and his ears burn red. His first year at Samezuka was spent attempting to help Rin with his issues and falling deeper and deeper into a crush that would not be reciprocated. 

It wasn’t that Nitori was ashamed of his companionship with Rin - he truly believed that his former roommate needed his constant encouragement. Whether it was from Nitori or the swimmers at Iwatobi, Rin deserved help. Nitori was happy believing that he had some part of Rin’s recovery and newfound drive for swimming. Now, Rin was the captain of a powerhouse swim club, smiled frequently, and let people get close to him. Nitori was proud of his friendship with Rin.

The crush, on the other hand…

At times it felt all consuming. The thrum of his heartbeat in his ears when Rin was close, the pride he felt when Rin succeeded, and the jealousy he felt when Rin’s attention lingered on Nanase for too long. It was so awkward, and Nitori never felt comfortable in his own skin, like he was hiding a terrible secret from everyone.

They say that first crushes are tough, but Nitori was not prepared to fall for his _roommate_ , who he had to see every single day, practice with, and know that he could never have because Rin was undeniably straight.

Well. Nitori was assuming because they had never spoken about sexuality. Deep down, he knew that Rin was Not Interested in him, and it was an easier pill to swallow when Nitori thought that it was because he was straight.

Nitori did not still have a crush on Rin, thank you very much. He has accepted his status as Rin’s friend and teammate, nothing more. His admiration of Rin hadn’t subsided, though - Nitori still thought that Rin was an incredible person, and he wanted to emulate more of his upperclassman’s traits.

More importantly - he had come to terms with the fact that he would likely be single until college, where he could find a nice man, maybe even another swimmer, and not worry about embarrassing high school crushes on men that were surely straight. That was something he could wait two years for. Swimming took too much of his time anyway, and Nitori really wanted to dedicate himself to improving his time. He wanted to be an asset to his team. He wanted to be reliable in the medley relay. He wanted to be proficient at two strokes. A crush, and especially a boyfriend, would be too much of a distraction. Also, Nitori didn’t want to experience the same awkward, uncomfortable teenage feelings he got around Rin last school year.

This is why Nitori was so horrified when he realized that he had a crush on _Mikoshiba Momotarou_.

It was a late summer evening when Nitori realized his feelings. The last light of the day was streaming in through his open window, curtains stagnant in the stiff humidity. He had been sitting at his desk, studying for an English exam that was sure to be the end of his career at Samezuka. The room was quiet, he was comfortable, and halfway through his studies. Nitori took a deep breath, suddenly struck with how peaceful he felt, and tried to savor the moment.

His peace was swiftly brought to an end when a loud thud landed against his dorm room door. Nitori jumped in his seat, banging his knee against his desk. He hissed and turned his head in time to see Momotarou open up the door. Nitori opened his mouth to admonish his kouhai for being so disruptive in the room, _again_ , but stopped once he saw the look on Momotarou’s face.

Usually, Momotarou would bound into the room, mouth already moving a mile a minute, regardless of how busy Nitori appeared to be. He would throw his bag down where he stood, tear off his uniform jacket and hang all over Nitori while spilling out what seemed to be excitable gibberish to most, but Nitori had heard it long enough to be able to decipher Momotarou’s speech. Nitori hadn’t decided if this was good or bad yet.

Today, the young backstroker looked positively sullen. There was a red mark blooming on his forehead, and his normally excitable eyes were a bit dull. His lips were even jut out into a tiny pout. Before Nitori could stop himself, he thought, _Cute_.

Seconds continued to pass, and Mikoshiba Momotarou had yet to say anything. Nitori got the feeling that a record was being broken right now. The only other time Nitori had seen his kouhai be silent for more than a minute was when he was sleeping. Even then, he managed to snore frequently.

“Ah…” Nitori was not used to being the first one to talk in their dorm. “Momo-kun? Are you alright?”

Momotarou finally met his gaze and gave a great, watery sniff. He stayed silent, though his eyes became wetter.

Nitori was not prepared for Momotarou to cry, and would much prefer that Momo went back to his obnoxious ways, but he knew that as his upperclassman, he had to help the poor guy.

Tentatively, Nitori turned in his desk chair to face Momotarou. He was still just _staring_ , backpack slung over his left shoulder and uniform wrinkled, eyes shiny with unshed tears. Slowly, Nitori said, “If you ever need to talk, I can-”

And that was as far as he got before Momotarou dropped his backpack and launched himself into his arms. “Nitori-senpaaaai,” Momotarou wailed, the dam finally breaking as he crushed Nitori into his arms. 

This was problematic for a few reasons. One, Nitori was still sitting in his desk chair. Momo had fallen onto his knees in front of him and wrapped both of his arms around Nitori’s entire body, effectively trapping his arms and blocking his legs, should he want to stand. Second, Momotarou had buried his face into Nitori’s chest, and Nitori could feel heat spreading there, likely from his tears.

Immediately, Nitori flinched and felt the warmth of a blush settle across his face. “Momo-kun!” he all but squeaked, “What’s wrong?”

Momotarou sniffed and looked up into Nitori’s eyes. “Senpai,” he began, a fresh wave of tears gathering in his eyes. Nitori felt shocked that something could have such an effect on his normally sunny roommate. “Today… has been the worst day ever!” Momo’s mouth crinkled down into a frown and he sobbed before stuffing his face back into Nitori’s stomach.

Now, this could be one of two things. Something genuinely bad could have happened, or Momotarou was being overly dramatic. Nitori was not sure which was the case yet, so he pressed on.

Slowly, he tugged one of his arms out from where it was pressed to his body by Momotarou’s embrace. Nitori placed his hand against Momotarou’s messy hair and began to run his fingers through the orange locks. While Nitori wasn’t exactly sure what to do in this situation, but this is how he liked to be comforted when he was upset. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“I… was walking to my class this morning,” Momotarou began, pulling his face away from Nitori’s stomach so he could speak clearly. The arms around Nitori remained tightly wrapped. “And I was walking past a group of cute girls.” Momotarou’s voice broke, “then I _tripped_ , and all of them started giggling. It was terrible!”

Nitori felt laughter begin to bubble in his own throat but suppressed it. “Ah… I understand, that can be very embarrassing.”

“Then, during lunch, I saw the biggest stag beetle,” Momo looked up at Nitori, eyes wide. “But I didn’t have my net with me to catch it! I’ll never see one that big _ever again_!”

 _Do not laugh, Ai_ , Nitori thought. He took a deep breath and soldiered on. “I’m sure you will! This is only your first year at Samezuka, and if there are stag beetles that size now, there have to be bigger ones around here as well.”

Momotarou’s eyes widened further, and he looked up at Nitori with a type of wonder that usually came from children. “Really? You think so?”

Nitori nodded and kept brushing his fingers through Momo’s hair. “I’m sure of it.” Momotarou’s tense shoulders relaxed a bit, and he leaned into Nitori’s hand a bit further. He looked a bit better, and the tears on his face had dried some. “Is that all that was bothering you, Momo-kun?”

“No,” Momo sniffed. “I was coming up the stairs to our room, and then I tripped up the stairs in front of more girls.”

“You tripped… up the stairs?” Nitori trained his expression to stay neutral as Momotarou was now staring up at his face.

“Yes! It was awful!” Momo seemed close to tears again, and Nitori cursed himself. He had to think of something.

“Ah! I know what it might be!” Nitori shouted, eternally thankful for his quick thinking. “You must be growing!”

“What?” Momo’s vice grip on Nitori’s arms loosened as he sat back a bit, looking up at Nitori with that same expression of wonder. “You think so?”

“Of course! It explains why you’re suddenly feeling more clumsy than usual, and it makes sense since your brother is so tall,” Nitori said, and Momotarou’s expression became more excited with each word uttered. Nitori smiled down at him. “It looks like you might be as tall as Mikoshiba-senpai soon!”

Momotarou considered this, then broke into a smile for the first time that day. “I might even end up taller than him!” 

Nitori nodded and grinned back. “So, all you have to do is pay attention to where you’re going until your growth spurt is over.”

A look of genuine happiness spread over Momo’s face, and Nitori silently congratulated himself on a job well done. He removed his hand from Momo’s hair and patted him on the shoulder. Something that looked like disappointment flashed across the backstroker’s face, but Nitori was sure he imagined it.

“You look like you’re feeling a lot better,” Nitori said, though Momotarou was still sitting at his feet.

Momotarou nodded, “I do! I really owe you one, Nitori-senpai.” Nitori was about to tell him to not worry about it, before a grumble sounded throughout the room, causing both of them to freeze. “Ah - I skipped lunch because I was looking for the stag beetle.” Momotarou at least had the decency to look a bit embarrassed. “Senpai, do you want to get dinner with me?”

Nitori really, really needed to get back to his studies if he wanted to pass his English exam, but Momotarou was looking up at him with _those eyes_ , and before he knew it, he had agreed. Momotarou jumped up in joy and all but ran to the door.

“Momo-kun, wait!” Nitori yelled, exasperated. “I have to change my shirt.” He pointed to the large wet patch on the front of his shirt, damp from Momotarou’s tears and likely his snot.

Nitori then had the pleasure of seeing a blush spread out from Momotarou’s cheeks all the way down his neck and over his ears. “I’m so sorry Senpai!”

Finally, Nitori let the laugh he had been holding in go and did not stop chuckling until they had reached the dining hall. He peeked up at Momotarou’s face, noted that his expression was somewhat bashful and there were red patches on the tops of his cheeks and found himself smiling. Not because of the ridiculous situation he had been subjected to, but rather from the fondness he felt for his underclassman.

_Wait, what?_

☆☆☆

The irony of the situation was not lost on Nitori.

When the younger Mikoshiba became his roommate, Nitori was initially annoyed. He was going to miss Rin, and he wanted to make sure that his mental state stayed healthy. Even though they had become friends and were in the same club, Nitori liked rooming with him. He wanted to remain in close quarters until Rin graduated.

Maybe a tiny part of his brain thought that if they remained roommates Rin might suddenly discover that he has feelings for Nitori, but that’s neither here nor there.

Fortunately, things had begun to change for Nitori once the separation began. Instead of longing to be with Rin more frequently, he began to appreciate the time they spent together. Instead of feeling like his heart was going to beat out of his chest when they were near one another, he felt happiness that would come from being around any close friend. 

Slowly, Nitori had become grateful for their time apart as it had given him a chance to recover from his feelings. He could chat with Rin a bit at practice and then go back to swimming in solitude until the only reason his heart was racing was from a particularly difficult set. Recently, Nitori had even begun to feel _embarrassed_ when he thought of his former crush on Rin, and that speaks for itself. 

Returning to his dorm was not a reason to feel butterflies in his stomach, but rather an opportunity to relax from the day. Well, as much as one can relax while dorming with Momotarou. 

Despite some complaints to the contrary, Momotarou was actually nice to bunk with. He kept his mess to his parts of the room, he was easy to talk to, and he understood that if Nitori gave him a sharp look over his shoulder it meant _I am studying right now you can ask me about which flashy swimsuit would look better at practice tomorrow when I am finished_.

Nitori had become complacent in his new living situation, as well as his new relationship with Rin. Things were starting to become easier for him.

This is why this current situation was deeply, _deeply_ troubling.

Nitori thought he was cursed. He had to be. It was the only explanation as to _how_ and _why_ he had fallen in love with another one of his roommates.

After the Double Tripping Plus Stag Beetle incident, Nitori’s blessed freedom from loving men was shattered. Well. He had never stopped loving men, he didn’t think he could stop loving men, not since he first saw his best friend’s older brother in second grade -

Okay. Nitori was getting off-topic.

Somehow, Mikoshiba Momotarou had wormed his way into Nitori’s heart. The casual arm that Momo had always thrown over Nitori’s shoulder now made him blush, the constant asking if Nitori wanted to eat dinner together now made butterflies form in his stomach, and Nitori now looked forward to the excited jabbering about Momotarou’s day. He even caught himself admiring Momotarou at practice, and try as he might, he could not make himself believe that it was a simple appreciation for Momo’s unique backstroke form.

Nitori was well and truly fucked, but he was not going to live another year like the one prior.

The crush had to be squashed, rendered immobile, and laid to rest so that Nitori did not have to struggle through the all too familiar feeling of falling for a straight guy. The difference this time was that Momotarou was very straight, and seemed to be too interested in chasing skirts (or one skirt, particularly Rin’s sister) than his roommate, or even swimming. So, Nitori just needed some space from his roommate to reckon with his traitorous heart.

That fact made it incredibly concerning when Nitori realized that Momotarou intended on spending _a lot of time_ with him that weekend.

Nitori had spent most of his free time on Saturday in the library, reviewing his mistakes on his English exam. He had gotten a respectable score, barely, and was determined to do even better for the upcoming exam. One of the benefits of living with Rin was that he was a fluent English speaker and was willing to help Nitori when he needed it. Now that Nitori was determined to be independent, he had not asked Rin for help this semester. As many exams as he passed, the more separated he felt from his old feelings for his former roommate.

That evening, Nitori returned to an empty room. This was only odd because the light had been left on. Momotarou usually spent his weekends at his parent’s house or out with his friends. Nitori set his bag on his desk, and silently hoped that Momotarou’s absence meant that he would be out of the room all weekend. It would give Nitori a chance to try to understand and cope with his newfound feelings.

Nitori pulled off his shirt and was about to unbuckle his belt when he heard a low noise from somewhere in his room. Wide-eyed, Nitori quickly reassessed the room, and it was just as empty as it was when he entered. Silently, he peeked into the bathroom, which was empty as well. Nitori heard the noise again and barely repressed what was sure to be an embarrassing squeak. The noise had not come from the closets, where he was going to check next, but rather from his bed. His bunk was empty, but from his vantage point next to the bathroom he couldn’t see if anyone was in the top bunk. Nitori took a deep breath, gathered his strength, and silently moved over to their ladder.

With each step he took up, he felt more nerves building. Momotarou was gone, so how had someone snuck into their room? Why hadn’t they announced themselves when Nitori entered? Nitori realized he was holding his breath, and as he peered over the ladder, he heard another noise and could not contain the shriek that left his throat.

The lump on Momotarou’s bed _jumped_ , nearly kicked one of its legs on the ceiling, and yanked the blanket clear off its head.

Not _it_ but just _Momotarou_.

“What!” Momotarou croaked, his hair even messier than usual and wild eyes darting over the room until it settled on Nitori at the foot of his bed.

“What are you doing here?” Nitori yelled back, moving his hand to cover his heart thundering in his chest.

“Huh?!” Momotarou looked confused for a moment. “Is-is this not my bed?” He stared at Nitori. 

Nitori felt a blush of embarrassment heat up the back of his neck. He had been so, so wrong but he wasn’t ready to admit that to his kouhai yet. “I-I meant, what are you doing asleep at this time?”

“Eh? I didn’t realize I fell asleep,” Momotarou still looked very, very confused. He rubbed his eye. “What time is it?”

“Seven,” Nitori replied, happy to be off the hook. “You’re lucky I woke you up, you might have missed dinner.”

“Thank you, Nitori-senpai,” Momotarou said around a yawn as Nitori climbed back down the ladder. It was a few seconds later that he said, “Wait.”

 _Crap_. “Y-yes?” Nitori busied himself at his desk and refused to turn and look up at Momo, lest he see the blush that was surely forming on his cheeks.

“Did you… scream to wake me up?” 

“N-no,” Nitori mumbled, “ That ah, was on accident.”

“...accident?” Momo muttered, and Nitori heard him leap down from the bed. Nitori turned away from his desk to scold Momotarou about safety but was shocked into silence. Momotarou was much closer than he had thought. Nitori was almost fully pressed back into his desk, and Momo was less than a foot away from him. “Nitori-senpai, did I scare you?”

Nitori wanted nothing more than to run far, far away from this confrontation but he was literally caged in. “Ah, I just um, didn’t expect you to be home so early.” Momotarou was looking down at him with _those eyes_ and he just couldn’t do anything but tell the truth. “I heard you snoring but I didn’t know what it was, so you surprised me. That’s all.” Nitori suddenly found that he could not meet Momotarou’s eyes, and reached his hands down to bunch his fingers into the front of his shorts, an old nervous habit.

It was very silent after that. Seconds seemed like hours. Nitori felt his embarrassment grow, and he was appalled by Momotarou’s lack of response. He steeled himself and looked back up into his kouhai’s eyes. 

However, Momotarou was not looking at Nitori’s eyes or even his face. His cheeks were tinged red, and he was staring at the top of Nitori’s chest. Nitori remembered that he had taken off his shirt, and was only wearing a white tank top. The backstroker’s eyes were completely glued to the exposed part of Nitori’s chest, and where one of his tank top straps had slid down.

Being openly checked out was not a feeling Nitori was used to. His blush got worse if that was even possible at this point. “Momo-kun!”

“C-cleavage…” Momo mumbled with a dazed expression on his face.

“Wha-what!” Nitori shrieked, covering his exposed skin with his hands. “I-I don’t have cleavage!”

The hands blocking Nitori’s chest seem to have knocked Momotarou back into the present. He looked back into Nitori’s eyes. “Eh?”

“What are you st-staring at?” Nitori felt like his face was going to burn off. This was not happening.

Momotarou began to blush deeply as well, having realized what he did. “Nitori-senpai, it’s not what you think!” Momo looked as embarrassed as Nitori felt, _finally_. “I, um, I can’t help it sometimes!”

“Looking at another man’s chest?” Nitori questioned, barely in control of his mouth. “You-you see me wearing less at practice all the time!”

“It’s different!” Momotarou wailed, backing up until he hit the opposite wall. “I-I really like tank tops!”

“Eh?!” Nitori yelled, truly not expecting that answer. “Momo-kun!”

“I’m so sorry, Nitori-senpai!” Momotarou yelled back, beet red and stiff. “Please forgive me!” He bowed so deeply that Nitori could only see the top of his head.

Graciously out of Momotarou’s intense gaze, Nitori had a second to calm down. He took another deep breath. It wasn’t a big deal, right? “It’s alright, Momo-kun.” Nitori had also done something embarrassing a few minutes prior. Momotarou peeked up at him. Nitori gave him a small smile, and he visibly perked up. “I forgive you.”

To Nitori’s shock, Momotarou jumped and cheered, coming back to give Nitori a hug. His arms were warm and strong, and the embrace was over before a stunned Nitori could think to return the gesture. “Let’s hang out!”

Nitori felt like he was trapped in a whirlwind. “W-What?”

“Let’s hang out,” Momotarou said again. “I’ve been waiting all day for you!”

Now, Nitori was the confused one. “Did we make plans?”

“Oh…” Momotarou looked bashful. “I didn’t ask, but please hang out with me Nitori-senpai!”

Nitori had to do something about Momotarou’s eyes. He just had to. “...okay.”

Then Momotarou jumped and cheered again, and Nitori resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands.

☆☆☆

That evening actually turned out to be a lot of fun.

Nitori’s resolution had only doubled because of it.

The duo had gone to dinner at the dining hall. Nitori thought that might be the end of it, seeing as it was late enough to call it a night, but Momotarou had other plans. After dragging Nitori off campus, they ended up at the local arcade. There were a few other groups of friends and couples from Samezuka there, but it was mostly empty. That meant that Momo’s quest for the night became playing every single game until he won once. At first, Nitori was a bit apprehensive, since he knew that Momotarou could be fabricating his video game prowess, but he was pleasantly surprised to find that Momo was a great player. They were able to play game after game together, taking turns and chatting with one another. 

Momo was clearly a regular patron of the arcade since he had a prepaid card with enough money to play all of the games twice. He even paid for all of Nitori’s rounds, looking bashful whenever Nitori tried to cover his own game.

As sweet as Momotarou was treating him that night, Nitori knew better than to let his feelings cloud his judgment once again.

Every time Momotarou looked over at him with his genuine grin, threw an arm over his shoulder, and whooped in joy when he beat an arcade game, Nitori felt himself steel even further.

Nitori was not going to have such terrible, unrelenting heartache over his roommate again. He was not.

So every time Momo looked over at him expectantly, _like Nitori knew what he was expecting_ , Nitori just gave him a small smile and looked away. He did not let Momotarou see how happy this evening was making him. He would not give in, even when he could hear his heartbeat in his ears like he did when he had a crush on Rin.

Later, once all the games had been beaten, it was well past midnight. They were walking home together in what Nitori considered to be a comfortable silence. Last year, when he was alone with Rin, he attempted to fill all the silences with constant, one-sided chatter. Now, he felt comfortable enjoying the peaceful night with Momotarou.

Although…

Halfway back to Samezuka, Nitori happened to glance over at Momotarou, who was already looking at him. Momo _jumped_ and quickly looked forward.

“Momo-kun…” Nitori just had to ask. “Are you okay?”

“Yes!” Momotarou said quickly, a small blush forming on the high points of his cheeks.

Nitori continued to look at Momo, waiting for an explanation, but none came. He shrugged it off, and they continued their walk. 

Now that Nitori had caught Momotarou staring, he realized that Momo was now flicking his eyes between the road ahead, Nitori, and the otter plush that he had won from all his tickets at the arcade. It was a maddening cycle, as he only seemed to look at one place for a few seconds before flicking back and back and _back_.

He wanted to ask Momotarou about it - but he had seen how embarrassed the backstroker became earlier, so he decided not to say anything. Nitori was trying to be a kind upperclassman.

The silence was no longer comfortable, even back at their dorm. 

Nitori was the first in the bathroom to change into pajamas and brush his teeth. Upon returning to their room, he was surprised to see Momotarou standing in front of his desk, fiddling with the otter plush again. It was strange for Momotarou to be so reserved around him.

“That’s pretty cute, Momo-kun!” Nitori said, attempting to cheer Momo up. “It matches you really well.”

“O-oh yeah, that’s part of the reason why I got it,” Momotarou said, finally lifting his gaze to meet Nitori’s. “I’m not sure what to do with it…”

Nitori smiled at him. He probably wanted to give it to a girl he liked. “If you don’t want to keep it, I’m sure you’ll figure something out. Anyone who gets that from you would be lucky!” _And if you got a girlfriend I wouldn’t have to worry about this crush as much_.

“You really think so?” Momotarou asked, eyes widening.

He could almost laugh at how genuine and sweet his kouhai was. “Of course. I’m going to head to bed now, I’m exhausted,” Nitori patted Momotarou on the shoulder and walked towards his bed. “Thanks for all the free games, it was a lot of fun.” He pulled up his bedsheets and looked over at Momotarou, who was still frozen by the desks. “Can you please turn off the light when you’re finished?”

“S-sure, Nitori-senpai.”

“Good night, Momo-kun.”

“...good night, senpai.”

Nitori closed his eyes and firmly reminded himself, _tonight meant nothing_.

☆☆☆

As it turned out, the late night had taken a toll on Nitori. He didn’t even remember Momo coming out of the bathroom yesterday night, he went to sleep so quickly. Mid-morning light was streaming in from the window when Nitori opened his eyes. He yawned and turned away from the wall to face his dorm room.

The last thing he was expecting to see was the otter plush from last night.

At first, Nitori thought that Momotarou had placed it there on accident, as he was prone to leaving things strewn about the room. But, he had never put his things in Nitori’s space, much less in his bed.

And, upon further inspection, the otter seemed to be _tucked into bed with him_ , the sheets pulled just under his brown chin.

 _That’s so cute_ Nitori thought, before more logical thoughts could stop him. The otter had big eyes and was holding a pink clamshell on his chest. Nitori’s mind wandered for a moment, trying to figure out what this could possibly mean…

Before last night’s words echo in his mind, _tonight meant nothing_.

It was a fun night with a friend. A tall, handsome friend that is an incredible swimmer. Who also paid for the entire night and gave him the plush that he won. That can’t mean anything, right?

 _Momotarou is straight_ , Nitori reminds himself. He even said last night that he did not know what to do with the otter, so he just gave it to Nitori. No need to think further into it.

By some stroke of fate, Momotarou is not in the room that morning. When Nitori checked the time, he realized that was likely due to the last call for breakfast in the dining hall. While Nitori would love nothing more than a fresh meal, he knew that he was not ready to see his roommate quite yet. Nitori ended up deciding to get a protein bar from the vending machine on the way to the pool for some solo training to clear his mind.

With all that being said, after Nitori makes his bed for the day, he placed the otter plush so it looks like it is laying against his pillow in the center of his bed.

☆☆☆

Things were becoming very, _very_ uncomfortable in room 210.

It had been almost a week since Nitori’s arcade hang out with Momotarou, and the two were barely speaking to one another.

Rather, Momotarou was using every opportunity to attempt to speak, and Nitori was studiously ignoring him in the most polite way possible.

That Sunday, when Nitori had returned to their room after a long day of swimming, studying, and eating at the dining hall at the opposite end of campus, it was much later than he usually came back. He wasn’t avoiding the glaring problem between them. Of course not. He just needed time to think.

Momotarou obviously had other plans. When Nitori opened the door, Momo had jumped up from his desk with an excited look on his face. “You’re finally back!”

Nitori gave a small laugh that he hoped did not sound strained. “Yes, it's been a long day.”

“Oh… does that mean you don’t want to hang out today?”

Momotarou sounded so disappointed, but Nitori had to soldier on. If he spent more time with Momo, he would only fall deeper into his crush. “No, sorry. I didn’t realize we had plans, and I’m really tired.” He busied himself with putting away his bags and cleaning up his area so he did not have to look at Momotarou and see the sad look on his face.

“That’s okay…”

“Good! I’m just going to shower and head to bed then,” Nitori glanced over his shoulder with a small, polite smile before shutting the door to the bathroom. 

Nitori leaned his head back against the door and tried to swallow. His heart was in his throat. Momo looked so disappointed. Nitori had not seen the underclassman look so dejected before. 

_Just a bit more space, and then we can go back to being friends._

That had become his mantra going forward. It was not worth it. Nitori had been down this path before. He knew that he could not somehow make a straight guy like him.

Every evening after practice, Nitori escaped from the pool as soon as possible. The first few nights he was able to quickly dress and go back to the dorm to shower, rather than use the ones in the locker rooms. This gave him a head start on getting back to the room before Momotarou. While his showers were noticeably, and regretfully short in some cases (once, he had been standing in front of the mirror over the sink before he realized that he hadn’t washed all the conditioner out of his hair), it made it so that he made it to the dining hall quickly. Instead of waiting to eat dinner with the other swim club members as they trickled in from practice, he sat with people in his year. This made it harder for Momotarou to spot him in the dining hall, especially when he ducked down a bit to avoid being seen.

In the evenings, he studied in the library or went for walks around the campus. It was still the late summer, so he was comfortable until fairly late. Then, when it was an acceptable time to feign tiredness and go to sleep right away, he returned to room 210.

This was where Momotarou was always waiting up for him. The first few nights, he seemed excited to see Nitori. He attempted to get him to stay up and talk with him for a while, but Nitori was always able to get away by saying he was too tired from the day. 

While this might sound easy, it was very difficult for Nitori.

He knew that if he made eye contact with Momotarou, it would be over. Whenever Momotarou looked at him _like that_ , Nitori could not say no. That look made him cave to anything, even to his own detriment. Momotarou’s eyes were both excited and soft, pretty and unyielding, admiring and golden, and most importantly, extremely genuine. When Momotarou looked down at him, Nitori felt that he had to say yes, since he looked so honest and pure. There was not any reason for Nitori to doubt Momotarou’s eyes.

So, he avoided them at all costs. Nitori stared at Momotarou’s neck when he was cornered into speaking to him, to maintain a polite relationship.

It was terrible, because most of all, Nitori wanted to see Momo happy. He wanted to see the shiny look appear in his eyes, and he wanted to enjoy it without remorse.

Unfortunately, Nitori would not be able to do such things until his crush was over.

By Wednesday, Momotarou simply greeted him at the door and turned back to his desk. Every now and then, he would sneak glances at Nitori, like he was going to say something but thought better of it.

It made Nitori’s heart clench up, suddenly too large and uncomfortable in his chest, but it had to be done.

☆☆☆

Everything came to head at practice on Friday.

Friday practices were reserved for practicing dives and perfecting starting techniques. Since Momotarou was a dedicated backstroker, Nitori felt safe knowing that he would not have to actively ignore him as he would be practicing his start in the water.

Momotarou had other plans.

“Captain, _pleaseeee_ …” 

Nitori’s ears immediately perked up. That was Momotarou’s whiney voice, the one that came out the most around his older brother and Rin.

He chanced a look to a few lanes over, where Rin was looking down at Momotarou with a mix of annoyance and trepidation.

“Why are you trying to practice your dive?” Rin looked very exasperated. “I already told you twice, you’re doing backstroke, and your start needs some work. Get to it.”

“B-but Rin-senpai! I want to be a more well-rounded swimmer!” Momotarou’s eyes were big and excited. Nitori felt a small, fond smile form on his face. He _missed_ his annoying kouhai, even though they had only been separated for less than a week.

Rin turned away, clearly trying to find a way out of the conversation. By some stroke of fate, he met Nitori’s eyes and he smirked.

“Here, let’s kill two birds with one stone,” Rin said, cocking a hand on his hip. “Ai! Come over here.”

Nitori, cursing his curiosity ( _why didn’t he just dive in the pool instead of eavesdrop_ ), walked over to Rin and the person he had been steadfastly ignoring for almost a week. “Yes, Rin-senpai?”

“I know you’ve been wanting to work on your dive and Momo wants to do the same. You two should do some extra practice later. Help each other out,” Rin smiled down at him, and Nitori weighed his options. 

One: he could turn Rin down, disappointing his senpai and making it seem like he’s a lazy swimmer. However, he would be able to avoid Momotarou.

Two: he could say yes, and look good to Rin, but have to face his crush one on one for at least an hour. He could practically feel Momotarou staring him down already.

Rin, either attempting to fill the silence that had followed or trying to convince Nitori into saying yes, said, “Sousuke and I are staying late, too.”

_Ah, two buffers!_

“Sure, senpai!” Nitori smiled up at Rin and tried to ignore the look of elation on Momotarou’s face.

“Thanks, Nitori-senpai!” Momotarou practically _glows_ , leaning in close to Nitori’s face. There it is, Momotarou’s look, just a few inches from his face, and maybe it’s because Nitori hasn’t seen it for a couple of days, but it seems ten times more intense than usual.

Suddenly, Nitori’s heart is stuck in his throat again and all he can do is nod.

“Okay, okay, back to practice,” Rin said, exasperation bleeding from his voice again. “Momotarou, go to the other backstrokers. Nitori, back to lane five.”

“Yes!” Nitori and Momo say in unison, and Nitori tried to ignore how cute that was for the rest of practice.

☆☆☆

As it turned out, Momotarou was not as bad at diving as his begging at practice would lead one to believe.

Rin quickly took note of this.

“Oi! Momo!” He yelled as Momotarou easily formed a perfect dive for the fourth time in a row. “Why did you want to practice your dives? They’re perfect!”

Immediately, Nitori noticed how Momotarou’s movements have considerably slowed. He seemed to think that the slower he got out of the pool, the more time he could buy before he needed to answer Rin. _How cute_ Nitori thought, and before he can help it, he’s blushing a little as he watches the muscles in Momotarou’s arms work to pull him out of the pool.

“Um…” Momotarou scratched the back of his head. “There’s always room for improvement?”

“For _what_?” Rin snapped, getting close to where Momotarou was standing at the edge of the pool. “All of your upcoming events are backstroke, and you have a perfectly passable dive right now.” Nitori moved forward and looked at Momotarou as well. Sousuke came up behind Rin, settled his gaze on Momotarou’s, and Momotarou was completely cornered.

“Um, ah, um…” Momotarou stuttered, looking around at all three of their faces, searching for an out.

When he doesn’t find one, his entire face turns a lovely shade of red, the same one he had when he cried so much he made huge wet patches on Nitori’s shirt.

“It’s because Nitori-senpai is ignoring me!” Momotarou practically _bellowed_ and pointed a finger right at Nitori, like Sousuke and Rin did not know who he was.

There was a very pregnant pause.

Sousuke was the first to break. “ _What_?”

“He never talks to me anymore, and he’s always gone!” Momotarou said, still looking like a cornered prey. He had enough sense to lower his pointed finger. “And, and! I think I know why!”

Rin looked well and truly done. “And why’s that?”

“I-its because,” Momotarou looked bashful, suddenly, a huge contrast to his previous cornered expression. Before Nitori could stop him, Momotarou had reached forward and grabbed both of Nitori’s hands in his own. He looked directly into Nitori’s eyes and said, “I’m going through a growth spurt and Nitori-senpai will always be short!”

_There is no way that this is real life._

Except it is, and Nitori can tell because Sousuke had to violently cough into his fist to try to cover the fact that he was _laughing_ and Rin doesn’t even try to cover it, bending over a bit to grab his knees due to the force of his laughter. 

“Why are you guys laughing?!” Momotarou yelled, turning towards their upperclassmen. “Ever since he told me I was having a growth spurt, he’s been different!” He returned to looking at Nitori, “Nitori-senpai, please don’t be jealous of my height!”

Rin’s laughter seemed to double, Sousuke was fully joining in now, and Momotarou was beginning to look annoyed. “It’s the only explanation!” He gave Rin a pouty look. “Also, you look like an old man when you laugh like that.”

“Oi, oi, don’t start getting mad because we laughed…” Rin said to Momotarou, trailing off when he saw the look on Nitori’s face.

Nitori was sure he looked _pissed_.

“Momotarou-san…” Nitori started, barely holding the volume of his voice under a yell. Momotarou, for his benefit, yelped, released Nitori’s hands, and backed up as far as he could without getting back into the pool. “I am not jealous that you are still growing.”

“R-really? You’re okay with being so small?”

Nitori felt his gaze harden again, and Momotarou let out a small whimper. “I am not _small_ , I am _average_ for a Japanese man!”

Sousuke muttered, “I’ve heard that before…” Before getting elbowed in the ribs by Rin, and they were both stifling laughter again.

“It’s okay Nitori-senpai! I think you’re really, really cute!” Momo seemed completely genuine, and it only made Nitori angrier.

“Mikoshiba, you’re something else,” Rin cut in, seeming to know that this was not going to go anywhere. The jerk was wiping a tear from laughter away from his eye. “Was that really all that you think is wrong?”

Momotarou suddenly came to a realization. “Also, Nitori-senpai hasn’t talked to me since we went on a date last Saturday!” Momotarou looked desperately in his direction, beet-red face and all.

All Nitori can think to say is, “Date?”

Something like recognition dawned on Sousuke and Rin’s faces. They shared a glance.

“There’s your problem,” Sousuke said.

“Geez, you two…” Rin sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. Nitori could not believe that he was being lumped together with someone that has gotten them into this incredibly awkward situation. “Looks like you need to talk some stuff out.”

Nitori was not ready to talk to Momotarou, especially not after this _very public_ conversation. “Eh, Rin-senpai-”

“No buts, Ai,” Rin fixed him with a glare that said, do not question me. “We need to be a team, and it’s fine if you two are dating, but you can’t let it get in the way of the team again.”

Nitori felt like shouting _We aren’t even a couple! But please feel free to kick Mikoshiba off the team for embarrassing me like this!_ But the words died in his throat. “Alright, senpai…”

“Sousuke and I will go, then,” Rin turned away from them. “I’m trusting you two to fix this on your own.”

The silence seemed to be deafening, the only sounds coming from Rin and Sousuke’s feet as they smacked across the wet deck to the locker room.

When the locker room doors closed, Nitori was embarrassed ( _again_ ) to find that he had tears welling up in his eyes. _He didn’t want to have this conversation now. He was not ready to be heartbroken again so soon._

Nitori kept his head bowed, gaze focused on the floor, and prayed that his bangs would cover the tears in his eyes.

“N-Nitori-senpai…” Momotarou tentatively started, a few stifling minutes after Sousuke and Rin left. “I didn’t mean- I didn’t mean for all of this to happen.”

Nitori was quiet again, trying to swallow a sob before it worked its way out of his throat.

“I, um, I asked you out on the, uh, date because, I um,” Momo stuttered out, before pausing. “I really wish… I really wish you’d look at me when I say this…”

Something in Nitori snapped, and before he knew it he had met Momotarou’s gaze and shouted, “We don’t always get what we wish for!”

“Senpai,” Momo looked absolutely shocked. “Are you crying?”

“Obviously! That was terrible!” Nitori yelled, tears now freely falling down his face. “I’m embarrassed that we had this talk in front of Rin-senpai and Yamazaki-senpai!”

“You, you wouldn’t talk to me any other time,” Momotarou looked hurt. “You wouldn’t even look me in the eyes. I didn’t know what else to do…”

“Maybe you should have let me ignore you, just a bit longer!” Nitori sobbed, he was so, so, so, mortified right now. “I just needed a few more days,” His voice cracked. “Just a couple more…”

“For-” Momotarou swallowed. “For what?”

“Until I stopped liking you!” Because now that the gates were open, everything was flooding out. “I’m gay, okay! I like you, but I know you’re not like that, so I just needed a few days to get over you,” Nitori couldn’t look at Momotarou anymore. “That’s it.”

There was silence again, somehow worse than all of the others combined and Nitori felt his face burn with shame. _How could this happen again?_ This time, he’d even been pressured into making a confession. Would Momotarou even want to sleep in the same room with him after this?

Finally, Momotarou spoke. It was a tiny voice, smaller than Nitori had ever heard him use. “You really like me?”

Nitori wanted to say something cutting, but all he could muster was the truth. He nodded and chanced a look at Momotarou. 

Despite having heard that his gay roommate had a crush on him, Momotarou did not look disgusted, like Nitori thought he might. He looked… bashful? Hopeful?

“Nitori-senpai,” Momotarou took a deep breath, “I mean, Ai-senpai, I really, _really_ like you.”

_What?_

“What?” Nitori said aloud, stunned.

Momotarou looked really shy. “I’ve liked you since we first met.”

Nitori’s head was spinning. “You’re… gay?” _What about Gou, and every other girl you’ve ever met?_

“Ah, no, I like anyone that’s cute,” Momotarou smiled, genuine and bashful and _perfect_. “And you’re like, super, super cute,” His cheeks pinked. “Especially in that white tank top. Ah! Not that that’s the only thing I like about you! You’re really kind and smart, too!”

Pervy comment aside, that was the most adorable, amazing confession, and Nitori still couldn’t believe it was all for him. 

“I- this is really hard for me to believe,” Nitori said, mind whirling.

Momotarou seemed to consider this. “It’s true, I promise. That’s why I wanted to take you out to the arcade so badly. I got the prepaid card the day before and everything,” Momotarou was giving him _that look_ , “And, well… since you comforted me when I was crying, maybe I can hug you now, too?”

Nitori’s tears were drying, but he found himself nodding anyway, and reached his hands up to wrap around Momotarou’s neck as they both stepped into each other’s arms. Momotarou’s arms settled around his waist, and it was at this moment that they both noticed their states of undress. Sure, they were swimmers, but such an intimate first hug was a _bit much_ when all they were wearing were speedos.

“I’m so sorry senpai!” Momotarou jumped back again, “I’m not trying to be a pervert again!” He continued to back away.

“Momo-kun, _stop_ -”

But it was too late. Momotarou stepped back once more, right off the edge of the pool deck and into the deep end. He gave a garbled shout before he was completely submerged. 

Valiantly, Nitori tried to fight off his laughter but failed once he saw Momo’s pouty face emerge from the pool. “Ai-senpai!” He whined when Nitori’s laughter did not fade once he climbed out of the pool. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s just so funny,” Nitori smiled, and Momotarou looked relieved.

“It’s okay. I’m just happy to see you smile like that again.”

That shut Nitori up, and he felt a blush creep across his face. “Um, th-thank you,” he murmured. _Thank you?_ “Let’s, um, go get changed.”

Momotarou eagerly nodded and a blush reappeared on his cheeks as he held out his hand to Nitori. 

And even though today had been one of the most trying days of his life, Nitori knew it was worth it when he saw the wondrous look on Momotarou’s face when Nitori held his hand.

☆☆☆

That night, after walking home from the locker room holding hands, everything felt safe and familiar to Nitori.

Nitori prepared for bed first, as he always did, and was sitting cross-legged on his bed with the otter plush in his lap when Momotarou came out of the bathroom.

“Ah! I finally get to see you with the otter plush!” Momotarou grinned and before Nitori knew it, had plopped onto Nitori’s bed, sitting opposite to him in a similar position.

“Yes, he’s really cute,” Nitori blushed. “I know I never thanked you for him, but I really like him.”

“That makes me happy!” Momotarou said, as honest as ever. “I was hoping you’d know that I liked you when I gave him to you.”

“Eh? How would I know?” Nitori said. “You just put him on my bed when I was asleep!”

“It’s because you were so cute when you were sleeping in after our date, I wanted him to be there with you until I got back from the dining hall with all our food!” Momotarou smiled.

That couldn’t be true. “Momo-kun, you can’t take food out of the dining hall.”

“I know, that’s why they got so upset when all the food I was hiding in my jacket fell out.”

Nitori had fallen in love with an idoit. “Ah, I see,” he said, training his expression to remain neutral. “Thank you for trying to get me food.”

“Anything for you!” Momo looked excited again. “Um, can I ask you something?”

He wasn’t sure agreeing was the smartest idea, after everything that had happened today, but… “Sure, Momo-kun.”

“Um, will you be my boyfriend?” Momotarou looked at him earnestly again.

“Oh! Yes!” Nitori’s blush had come back. “I kind of assumed, after what we said at the pool…”

“After everything that’s been going on for the week, I don’t think we should assume anything.” Momotarou steadily met his gaze.

Nitori was shocked. “Wow, that’s actually a really wise thing to say, Momo-kun!”

Momotarou practically preened under the praise. “You know, I can be really smart sometimes!”

“I know,” Nitori said, smiling at the goofball sitting across from him. 

“I, um, have one more question, Ai-senpai,” Momotarou mumbled, bashful again.

“Ask me anything, Momo-kun.” _You’re my boyfriend now, after all._

“Why did you ignore me this week?” Momo cocked his head. “I’m not mad, or anything. I just want to know why.”

 _Ah._ Nitori was not expecting this to come up so quickly. Panic began to set in as his eyes drifted to the spot next to Momotarou, avoiding looking at him.

“Hey, look at me,” Momotarou said softly, and when Nitori did, Momotarou was giving him a kind look. “If you don’t want to tell me, that’s okay, too.”

“That’s not it,” Nitori felt his eyes widen. “I-I want to tell you, I’m just a bit nervous.” He swallowed, trying to moisten his suddenly dry throat. “Ah, last year, I had a crush on Rin-senpai,” Nitori looked at Momotarou carefully, but the backstroker’s expression only revealed slight shock. “It was really hard for me to live with him after I figured it out. Especially when I realized that he would never feel the same about me,” Nitori couldn’t stop the small, sad smile from spreading across his face. “Once we stopped living together, I was able to get over my feelings for him. I started feeling a lot better. Then, when I realized that I liked you - that I’d fallen for another roommate - I knew that I didn’t want to live with unrequited feelings again.”

“But,” Momotarou cut in, “Your feelings were never unrequited!”

“And now I know! But, before, I didn’t even know if you were into guys. Even if I had known, I probably would have talked myself out of believing that you liked me.”

“Nitori-senpai,” Momotarou leaned forward, eyebrows furrowed. “I really like you. Please, don’t doubt that!”

“Oh, Momo-kun. I really like you, too,” Nitori reached a hand across their laps to lock their fingers together. “You’re so much braver than me. You were the one to ask me out first and be so kind to me.”

“I-I want to be brave again!” Momotarou practically shouted, and Nitori jumped, worried that their neighbors could hear.

“That’s fine, you just have to be quieter about it,” Nitori urged.

“Okay,” Momotarou dropped his voice to a whisper. “Ai-senpai, can I kiss you?”

Instead of overthinking everything, instead of analyzing the repercussions, Nitori finally just said what he was thinking, “Yes!”

“Eh, which one of us needs to be quiet now?” Momotarou had the nerve to _smirk_ and begin to lean forward.

When their lips pressed together, all Nitori could think of was how warm and happy he felt with Momo’s mouth on his. Momotarou’s lips were minty and he smelled like chlorine and body wash and something Nitori couldn’t put his finger on. The scent was unique to Momotarou. Nitori was struck by how _gently_ Momotarou was kissing him, with a warm hand cupping Nitori’s jaw and a thumb stroking across his cheekbone, sliding over his beauty mark. His other hand was still intertwined with Nitori’s, resting in his lap. Their kiss was so intimate, Nitori didn’t think that it could be any more intense until he opened his mouth, and _wow_ , Momotarou knew what he was doing with his tongue. It made Nitori’s head spin as he tried to match the pace Momo was setting.

Their position was a bit awkward, as they were both sitting cross-legged in front of each other, with an otter plush shoved in Nitori’s lap. Nitori would have been happy to continue the kiss, but Momotarou broke away with a gasp. His face was noticeably red again. Nitori couldn’t help but wonder if either of them will have lasting damage from how much they have blushed today.

“Ah, did you like it?” Nitori asked, a shy smile working over his face.

“Ai-senpai,” Momotarou said, oddly serious as he meets Nitori’s gaze. “I loved it. We have to do that way more often.”

“I think we should, too,” Nitori said. Momotarou leaned in once again, and Nitori had never been able to say no when Momotarou looked at him _like that_.

☆☆☆

A cold, wet arm draped across Nitori’s shoulders and quickly soaked a large wet patch into his Samezuka training jacket.

“ _Momo-kun_ ,” Nitori said, exasperated. “I’ve told you ten times, don’t hang on me when you’re wet and I’m wearing clothes…”

Nitori turned his head to fix Momotarou with a stern look and was very surprised to see a familiar shark-like grin instead of his sheepish boyfriend.

“Trouble in paradise already?” Rin was clearly amused, his grin growing even further. He pulled his arm away from Nitori and settled for a pat on his shoulder instead.

“Ah, Rin-senpai!” Nitori jumped. “I’m sorry!”

“Don’t worry about it. Actually, that’s what I wanted to ask you about…”

“Momo-kun putting his arm around me when he’s wet?”

Rin rolled his eyes and looked down at Nitori. “Yes, of course. No, how it went after Sousuke and I left last week. I haven’t been able to get you away from Momo since then.”

“O-oh,” Nitori and Momo had basically been spending every waking moment together since then. They were very much in the honeymoon phase. Nitori was actually having problems making sure that Momotarou kept his hands to himself when they were out of room 210. “Um, it went well. We confessed to each other and we’re dating.”

“Damn, Ai,” Rin gave Nitori an appraising look, grin softening into a smile. “Good for you two! And you’re happy with him?”

A thought occurred to Nitori. “Yes, and if we do fight, I won’t let it get in the way of the team again! We’ll make sure we keep our relationship problems outside of practice!”

Rin gave him a confused look. “That’s good, but I was asking as your friend. I want to make sure you’re happy with your boyfriend.”

Tears welled up in Nitori’s eyes before he could stop them. “Rin-senpai… that’s so nice of you…”

“O-oi, don’t start crying on me! I’m trying to be nice here.”

“WHAT’S GOING ON?”

Before Nitori could respond to Rin, Momotarou, fresh out of the pool, shoved his way in between Rin and Nitori, facing Rin in an attempt to protect Nitori. His arms were spread out wide, and he was meeting Rin’s extremely confused gaze with what he probably assumed was an intimidating look. Since the look was coming from Momotarou, it definitely was not.

“Momo-kun!”

“Don’t worry Ai-senpai, I’m here for you!”

“W-what? Momo-kun, _move_.” Nitori was horrified that he was acting like this in front of Rin and some of their teammates that had lingered on the pool deck after practice.

“Only if Rin isn’t making you sad!”

“He isn’t!” Nitori wanted to _die_. “Rin is being really nice about you and me right now!”

Momotarou’s face softened a bit, and he put his arms down, but he stayed standing in between Nitori and Rin. He looked over his shoulder at Nitori. “A-are you telling me the truth right now?”

Something in Nitori snapped - something that he learned he desperately needed while dating Momotarou. It was his patience. “What kind of question is that, coming from the guy that lied to our captain to try to get me to practice with him?” Nitori gave him a hard poke in his exposed side.

“Ai-senpai!” Momotarou wailed, finally moving over and grasping at what was sure to be a new bruise.

Nitori opened his mouth to lecture Momo, but was cut off when Rin began laughing.

Surprised, the couple looked at their captain, who was still chuckling. “I guess I really didn’t need to worry about you guys,” He smiled down at them. “It seems like you two are really good together.”

The same prideful feeling that he got when Rin complimented his progress with swimming or pointed out that a new technique Nitori was trying was working for him swelled within him. “Th-thank you, Rin-senpai!”

Momotarou looked confused and pouty, but he managed to mumble, “Thank you, Matsuoka-senpai…”

“You’re still something else, Mikoshiba,” Rin chuckled. “I’ll see you guys later. Good work at practice today.” And with that, Rin was off, walking over to where Sousuke was waiting for him.

Immediately, Momotarou was on him, leaning close to Nitori’s face and holding both of Nitori’s hands in his own. “Are you okay, Ai-senpai?”

“Yes, Momo-kun!” Nitori said, a little annoyed but flattered that Momotarou cared about him this much. “Rin-senpai and I are friends now, I told you that.”

“Just making sure!” Momotarou closed the gap between them and quickly pressed a kiss to Nitori’s cheekbone. He dropped one of Nitori’s hands, and firmly grasped the other so that they were holding hands like usual. “Let’s go home.”

Nitori felt his annoyance melt away and fondness bloom in his chest. “Yes, let’s go home.”

While walking back to room 210 with his fingers intertwined with Momotarou’s, Nitori finally let his mind wander. He realized how lucky he was. Sure, his crush on Rin hadn’t turned into anything romantic, and that hurt, but if it meant that Nitori got to be friends with Rin, and even got to date Momotarou, then all the heartache was worth it. Even now, with Momotarou jabbering on about a stag beetle he’d seen earlier that day in excruciating detail, Nitori felt like he was the luckiest guy on Earth.

“Eh? Senpai…” Momotarou turned to look back at Nitori when he had stopped walking. “Are you okay?”

Nitori grinned, wide and bright. “Yes, I’m just thinking about how lucky I am to be with you.”

Momotarou quickly turned forward to hide his face, but Nitori still saw the red flush that crept over his ears and neck. “I-I feel lucky too!”

Nitori walked forward, so they were standing next to each other. Momotarou looked down at him, bashful and red-faced. Quickly, since there were a few other students around, Nitori tilted his head up and kissed Momotarou. 

Momo stared down at him, giving him that same wondrous look that had gotten them into this mess, and Nitori finally, _finally_ felt comfortable.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading ♡


End file.
